“The Swedish Military Conscription Register: Opportunities for Its Use in Medical Research”, 2022-07-09 ():
In Sweden, conscription around age 18y was mandatory for young men until June 30, 2010. From July 1, 2017, it became mandatory again for both sexes but the proportion of summoned people for standardized testing has so far been low.
This paper describes the history, structure and content of the Swedish Military Conscription Register (SMCR). We retrieved information about the SMCR from written sources and through e-mail interviews with key personnel at the Swedish Defence Conscription and Assessment Agency. We also analysed data from the SMCR between 1969 and 2018.
1969–492018 the SMCR contains digital data on ~2 million individuals (98.6% men). Most conscripts were born 1951–37198836ya (n = 1,900,000; tested 1969–37200618ya). For the 1951–36198737ya birth cohorts, the register has a population coverage of ~90% for men. Conscripts underwent written tests focusing on verbal, spatial, logical and technical ability, medical, physical, and psychological tests. The medical assessment included hearing, vision, muscle and exercise capacity, height, weight, blood pressure and resting heart rate. The SMCR has been widely used to study, eg. obesity, cardiovascular disease, mental health, crime, cardiovascular fitness, muscle strength, sick leave and disability pension.
Severe disease could qualify for exemption from military service. Thus, the prevalence of such diseases is underestimated in the SMCR population. 1990–282018, [only] about 25,000 women also volunteered for testing.
The SMCR contains population-based data on physical and psychological health in about 90% of all men born 1951–36198737ya (corresponding to testing between 1969 and 2006), and can be used to address a host of research questions.